Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A Big Bowl of Comfort


It has been snowing off and on for the last couple of months. And with the exception of a few days it has been very cold. So, it is natural for my thoughts to turn toward comfort and warmth.
A toasty blanket, a good book (or in my case, knitting project) and a hot bowl of soup. Mmmmm, what could be better? Fortunately, I have a great recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup that even my two year-old likes.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
salt and pepper
5 cups chicken broth (homemade is best if you have it)
2 cups water
2 jalapeño peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
1/2 - 1 cup tomato salsa (I like medium salsa for a little kick)
2 fully cooked chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 can of mexicorn
2 Tbs heavy cream (optional, but I like a creamier soup)
In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt and pepper, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions for about 20 minutes or until they are well caramelized and golden brown. In a soup pot, simmer jalapeños in the chicken broth until peppers are a dull green color, then remove peppers and discard. Add water to broth. In a food processor, combine onions and salsa and pulse until ingredients are at a fine consistency. Add to broth along with the chicken, mexicorn and heavy cream. Simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors and heat through.
The jalapeños add that spicy flavor but without too much heat and the mexicorn gives it great color and a pleasant sweetness. A perfect garnish for this soup is homemade tortilla strips, tortilla chips, or my favorite (and it may sound strange) ... Fritos! Anything is good with Fritos! Cilantro and a dab of sour cream would be delicious too.

3 comments:

Anna said...

Mmm...looks tasty!

BTW, how did you get that lovely hazy, soft look around the bowl? The light is great in this picture.

Kelly said...

To be honest I didn't like how the lighting looked in the original photo, so ... I faked it a little bit. I used Photoshop in this case and did a lighting filter in one layer and overlayed the two images. Then I used the burn tool and went around the edges to deepen the color.

I feel like such a cheater! But then, I am a professional graphic designer, not a professional photographer :)

Towanda said...

MMMMMMM... comfort food ... what could be better?